Seal for containers



0. FIELD AND w. E. .NEWELL.

SEAL FOR CONTAINERS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1920.

- 2 SHEETS- T 1- 1,399,949. Patented Dec. 1921.

C. FIELD AND W. E. NEWELL'.

SEAL FOR CONTAINERS,

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, I920. 1,399,949.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

tents of the barrel during its transit. Fur

. UNITED STATES PATENT: OFF 10E.

CROSBY FIELD, OF yoNKEEs, NEW YORK, AND WALTER E. NEWELL, or BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS T0 NATIONAL ANILINE & CHEMICAL 00., me, A. coca- PORATION OF NEW YORK.

SEAL FOR CONTAINERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

'Application filed September 18, 1920. Serial No. 411,186.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that CRosBY FIELD, of Yonkers, Vestchester county, New York, and lVAL'rER E. NEWEL'L, of Bayonne, Hudson county, New Jersey, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seals for Containers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to seals for containers and isdirected to the provision of an improved form of seal for a barrel or similar container which can be manufactured at low cost, which can be applied readily and which forms an effective seal of a character specially adapted formeeting requirements incident to the shipment of certain classes of goods in trade.

The invention is adapted for use in connection with containers of various kinds and 'used for various purposes but it is of special utility in connection with barrels or kegs employed in the shipment of such merchandise as dyestuffs. In the past it has been a common practice to ship dyestuils abroad in barrels and these barrels have not been provided with bungs because the provision of a bung would make it more easily possible to remove some or all of the contherniore, in order to guard against removal of one of the boards of an end of the barrel or one of the staves, it has been a common practice to lace wire back and forth across the ends of the barrel and through openings in the staves. This practice has been followed at considerable expense covering the provision of the numerous holes in the staves, the cost of the wire and the cost of applying the wire over the ends of the barrel. Furthermore, when no bung is provided in the barrel, the cost of filling the barrel with the dyestuff is excessive. 4

The object of the present invention is to provide a closure or seal for a barrel or other container which is to a large extent free from these objectionable characteristics It permits of the provision of a hung for filling,

applied, it furnishes efiective protection sponding against unwarranted opening of the container or abstraction of any of its contents, and it materially strengthens the container and serves to protect it against accidental derangement of the hoops or other auxiliary closure devices during transport and handling.

The preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a pairof wires extending across the end of a barrel substantially at right angles to each other, having their ends, passing through openings in the staves of the barrel and secured to those staves and having the wires secured to each other at the point where they cross without welding or riveting but in such a manner as to preclude-either wire from being moved relatively to .the other. In so securing the wires together at the point where they cross, a solid cover of substantial size may be employed which would serve -to conceal and prevent access to a hung in the top of the barrel. The ends of the two wires-are secured to the staves by passing them through openings in the staves and a hoop and upsetting the metal of the wire as the head of a rivet is'upset. This secures the. seal rigidly in position and after the metal is upset it may have a distinguishing mark applied to it which will serve as an-indication of any attempt to loosen or remove the seal.

The embodiment of the invention which we have found to be most desirable is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and this will now be described in detail after which the special advantages incident to the use of this form of closure will be' pointed out specifically.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of one end of a barrel showing the improved seal applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the opposite end of the barrel; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4 is a view partly in section and partly in perspective corre; to Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a planview of the seal shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a similar view of the seal shown in Fig. 2;- and Fig. 7 is a View in perspective indicating the application of the sealof Fig. 6130 the end of the barrel.

Referring to these drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 represent a barrel having staves 8 and ends 9 and 10. In the end 10 is a bung 11 located at the center of the end and providing an opening for filling the container after the containeris complete in all respects except for the insertion of the bung and the application of the seal. The seal employed at this end which is provided with the bung is of a special form adapted for concealing and preventing access to the bung. The seal at the opposite end of the barrel is of the same construction except for the special means for protecting the "bung.

The seal shown in Figs. 1 and 5 consists of two wires 12 and 13 preferably coated with a rust-proof material. These wires are disposed at right angles to each other and cross at the center of the barrel where they are bent as is indicated in Fig. 1 to cause the lengths of the wires to lie in the same plane. At the point where the wires cross, means are provided for preventing the wires from being moved one relatively to the other. For this purpose, a sheet metal piece 14 is shown consisting of a circular piece with a peripheral flange. This flange is provided with four openings at equidistant points through which the wires 12and 13 pass. After the wires have been inserted through these openings and arranged in the proper positions relatively to the piece 14 and to each other, the dished piece 14 is filled with molten metal 15 which flows in around the wires,

filling the entire space within the piece 14, and hardens.

The ends .of the wires 12 and 13 pass through openings in the staves 8 and corresponding openings in the end hoop 16 of the barrel. The metal of these ends of wires is turned over upon the surface of the hoop 16 as shown at 17 so that the two wires are riveted securely in place. If desired, the ends of the wires 12 and 13 may be threaded as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In applying such a seal, the threaded ends of the wires are passed through the openings in the staves and hoop and nuts 18 are applied tothe threaded ends and screwed up tightly against the surface of the hoop 16. After this has been done, the ends of the wires 13 and 14 extending beyond the nuts 18, are upset upon the surfaces of the nuts. J

Referring now to Figs. 2, 6" and 7, the con; struction here shown differs from that above described only in so far as concerns the protection of the bung. A sheet metal piece is applied to the wires at the point where they cross and this piece is of muchv larger diameter than the piece 14 shown in Fig; 1,

. so that it will completely cover and extend a substantial distance beyond the periphery of the bung 11. The piece is shown at 19 and it will be noted that it has a peripheral flange like the piece 14 provided with openings through which the wires of the seal extend. On account of the larger size of the fore other means are provided for guarding against relative movement of the wires. Instead of using two wires which cross the end of the barrel at right angles to each other as shown in Fig. 1, the construction shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7 involves the use of wires-20 and 2'1which are bent. 'at-right angles intermediate their ends, the wire being so shaped at the right angle bend as to cause the wires to lie in the same plane as is best illustrated in Fig. 7. The ends of these wires 20 and 21 pass through openings .in the staves 8 and hoop 22 and are riveted over upon the hoop in the manner described above. v

The form of seal herein illustrated and described possesses great strength; it reinforces thei ends of the barrel and is reinforced by those ends and effectually prevents pilfering of the contents of the barrel .hoop at each end of the barrel instead of the large number required when wire is plaited back and forth, and by having the ends of the wires pass through the hoop, the latter is held in place by the seal so that loosening of the parts of the container and loss of the contents by seepage are prevented. It is unnecessary that the holes in the staves and hoops be positioned with great accuracy as this form of seal adapts itself to any irregularity in that respect. The seal cannot be broken and the container opened by cutting one of the wires and then drawing the two pieces out as the construction involves securing the wires together where they-cross. The disks or sheet metal pieces; 14 and .19

.are held securely'in position against movement along any one of the wires or out of the plane of the wires. The riveting over of the ends of the wires on-the outside of the barrel provides a surface upon which an identifying mark may be displayed to indi- "cate the maker or shipper of'the goods and also to indicate any attempt at tampering are threaded to receive nuts, this riveting over of the metal of the wires mutilates ,the thread so as to prevent reuse of the seal. Furthermore, this form of seal permits of v the provision of a bung of the'barrel, thus preventing unwarranted removal of the bung or tampering with it in any Way.

with theseal, and when the ends of the wires When employing the seal in connection with barrels of relatively large size, the con struction illustrated in the drawings may be duplicated so as to include two pairs of wires so arranged that the wires of the two pairs cross at points displaced from andon opposite sides of the center of the top of the barrel I While two wires are shown crossing at right angles, it will be understood that we contemplate the use of any number of wires,

and crossing them at other than right angles if desired. In addition it is not necessary that the individual wires be straight, since the wires shown in Fig. 7 are crossed as Well as those shown in Fig. 5.

\Ve claim:

1. A seal for a container comprising a pair of wires extending across the end of the container at an angle to each other and having their ends secured to the wall of the container, and a metallic member overlying the intersection of the two wires and having openings through which the two wires extend, said member being mounted loosely on the wires and restrained from movement away from over the intersection of the wires by said intersection of the wires.

2. A seal for a container comprising two wires extending across the end of the container at an angle to each other and having their ends secured to the walls of the container, a sheet metal piece having a peripheral flange overlying the intersection of the two wires and having penings in the flange through which the wires extend and a filling of 'metal in the sheet metal piece surrounding the wires and holding them against relative movement.

3. A seal for a container comprising two wires crossing each other substantially at right angles, a flanged sheet metal piece overlying the intersection of the wires and hav-' ing penings in its flange through which the wires extend and a filling of metal in the sheet metal piece inclosing the wires and preventing relative movement thereof.

4:. The combination of a container having a substantially cylindrical wall and an end and a seal overlying the end of the container and consisting of wires lying at an angle to each other and having their ends extending through openings in the cylindrical wall of the container and upset thereon and :1V flanged sheet metal pieceoverlying the center of the top and having openingsv in its flange through which the wires extend.

5. The combination of a container having a substantially cylindrical wall and an end and an opening in the end to receive a hung and a seal consisting of a pair of wires extending across the end of the container and having their ends passing through openings in the cylindrical wall and secured thereto and a sheet metal piece supported by. the

wires and overlying the hung in the end of thecontainer..

6. The combination of a container having a substantially cylindrical wall and an end and an opening in the end to receivea bung and a seal consisting of a pair of wires extending across theend of the container and having their ends passing through openings in the cylindrical wall and secured thereto, means for preventing relative movement of the two wires, and a sheet metal piece supported by the wires and overlying the hung in the end of the container.

7 .A barrel having a cylindrical wall of staves, an end and a hoop inclosing the staves adjacent to the end and a seal for the end of the barrel comprising a pair of wires extending across the end and disposed at an angle to each -other and having their ends extending through openings in the staves and the. hoop and upset upon the exterior surface of the hoop.

8. A barrel having a cylindrical wall, an

end provided with an opening and a bungv 9. A barrel-having a cylindrical wall, an

end provided with an opening and a hung in the opening, and a seal extending over the end of the barrel and secured to the cylindrical wall and overlying the bung, the seal serving to prevent removal of the bung from its opening and removal of the end of the barrel from its position-in the cylindrical wall.

10. The combination with a barrel having a cylindricalwall, an end provided with an opening and a hung in the opening, a seal for the barrel consisting of a plurality of members extending across the end of the barrel at an angle one to another and having their ends secured to the cylindrical wall of the barrel, the said members or a part carried thereby overlying the bung to prevent its removal from the opening in the end of the barrel and the seal also serving to prevent removal of the end of the barrel from to the staves at their ends,and crossing each other at the center of the head, and means mounted on the wires coverlng the crossing staves and the head having a bung, of a seal for the barrel and bung, the seal comprising a plurality of wires connected to the staves at their ends and crossing each other at the bung, and a covering plate mounted on the wires covering the crossing thereof and covering the bung. Y

15. In a barrel having a bung, a seal for the bung, comprising a plurality of wires secured to the barrel and intersecting above the bung, and a covering member for the bung slidable on the wires and held above the bung by the crossing of the wires.

16. A seal for bungs, comprising a covering member, and a plurality .of means for connection with the barrel to support the member over the bung and to anchor it with respect to the bung and the barrel, the member being freely slidable with respect to each of the said means but held from simultane- -ous movement with respect to both of the said means whereby to permit either of the said means to be adjusted with respect to the covering member before said means are attached to the barrel to position the member over the bung, and to prevent movement of said member away from over the bung after the said means have been connected to the barrel.

17 A seal for bungs, comprising a covering member for the bung, and means for connection with the barrel to support the member over the bung and to anchor it with respect to the bung and barrel, the said means comprising a plurality of crossed wires adapted to be secured at their ends to the barrel, the covering member being freely slidable with respect to each wire but held from simultaneous movement with respect to both wires by the crossing of the wires.

18. A seal for bungs, comprising a covering member for the bung, and a pair of wires for supporting the coveringmember, said wires being of a predetermined length and adapted to be secured at their ends to the staves of the barrel, the covering member being freely movable on each wire, but held from simultaneous movement on both wires, whereby the covering member may be posi= tioned at any desired point with respect to the head. 1

19. In a barrel having a bung, a seal for the bung, comprising a covering member, and means for connection with the staves of the barrel at opposite sides of the bung to support the member over the bung and to anchor it with respect to the bung and the barrel. I

In witness whereof, we affix our signatures.

CROSBY FIELD. WALTER E. NEWELL. 

